Weird Xmas by the Equator

You can always tell how many people are in the house by counting shoes.
Xmas Day crew  - Jane, Sophia, Myrna Sweet, Cathryn, Tess, Ellen, Evangeline and Amie
Who doesn't like presents?

Tess checking out the tree.
Sophia got some big Santa pants.

The hood will come in handy when the mercury dips below 83.
Filipino Maha Blanca - desert with a message.
Heavy frying.
The spread
A good fake tree is key.
Homage to the folks in Cali.
Elijah holds a prime tree spot.
The Gimbel siblings and their faahhhthah
Lena, Tod and more.....
Sophia and Myrna styling.

Party girls at the Xmas Eve Bash.

"I know snow - it comes in a can"
Singapore's passion - the photo in front of some gaudy or tacky decorations.

A pair of Santa's helpers looking for people to help.

Christmas Eve in Singapore is like New Years eve in Times Square.  People party, hit the streets, wear Santa hats, spray fake snow from cans and then count down to Midnight.  All that was missing was the big crystal ball to drop and Dick Clark.

All the stores were open on the 24th and opened as usual on the 25th.  I think it all has to do with an identity crisis caused by too many people of different ethnic and religious backgrounds. Not sure how to keep all the recent holidays straight (Hari Raya Haj. Deepavali, upcoming Chinese New Year and more) and not wanting to appear to favor any particular beliefs, the good Government of Singapore has decided that keeping all holidays commercial is a win win.  More tourists, more shopping and spending.  Every day is a day to buy, give and party!

We got sucked in.  Went to a nice party last night, got up today and exchanged gifts (highlights  - my Wii, Sophia's gold earrings and iPod dock and Myrna's new Motorola RAZR phone), cooked and had a bunch of Myrna's friends for late afternoon dinner.

We came, we ate, we drank, we spent - we even got caught up in the countdown and canned snow. I do like the idea of walking around in shorts, flip flops and tee tee shirt 365 days a year though.  

Holiday Cheer!

Dressed up for the holidays!
Tropical Santa.
Myrna and some of her elves.

The holidays are upon us!

We lit the the lights for Hanukkah a few weeks ago. A bit strange to do so in a place where very few people even know it's a holiday. Even so, the candles burned well as we kept them in the freezer until lighting time. We did the prayers and even sang the dreidl song. Myrna was impressed with our strange ritual.

Next we sought out a Christmas tree. We know where you can get real trees from the USA or second rater real ones from Europe but we heard they last about three sayd before dieing a fast sad death. Our search turned to artificial trees. The fake trees here go from really, really bad fakes which look like coat hangers and construction paper, to white retro funky ones, to pre decorated and lighted ones to not quite so fake looking but very pricey. We opted for the later. With our really high ceilings we had to get a 7 footer to even have a hope of not having it look like a Charlie Brown tree in the living room. I carried the tree home from the Paragon mall, located about 3 blocks from our house. I had it on my shoulder and Sophia brought up the rear to make sure I didn't whack anyone as I passed by. The streets have been extremely crowded with shoppers on the weekends and that day was no exception. I do believe had I not been about 5 inches taller then the average Singaporean I would have decapitated many people. Lucky the tree box on my shoulder either cleared or just grazed the heads of most passers by.

I set up the tree (it took a whole two minutes) and put on the lights. We started to decorate it with a number of ornaments we brought from the Us (a few of the many we have) and some new ones Sophia picked up (even the lousy ones are very pricey). We also decided to make ornaments with our family members' pictures. The "project" was fun. Most of the people from both Sophi and my family as well as Myrna and her friends are represented. Lena, Elijah, Rachel and Benjie, little Josh, Myrna's niece and of course Mitzvah are all there to see. Some of Myrna's friends stopped by one night to pitch in.

One of the unique tree problems we have is the tree is near out air well, it seems to get splashed when it rains. Unlike back in the US where Milwaukee and the east coast have had cold and snow, here it is the rainy season. It rains every day, sometimes in buckets. In fact as I write this it is pouring big time while the sun was out about 20 minutes ago. Anyway, we have carefully laid the presents out of harm's (rain's) way.

Going to a party Christmas eve, opening presents at Midnight, then having a bunch of Myrna's friends over for Christmas day dinner. A Puerto Rican - Filipino- Jewish extravaganza!

Holiday greetings to all! Hoping you all enjoy good health, good fortune and good times!

The Big One!

Singapore Airlines launched the first A380 plane a month or so ago. As a big traveler and airplane-a-phobe I had to snap a few pictures when I saw it at Changi airport a few weeks ago. It's a double decker and it doesn't look as big as I thought it would. They do have 1st Class "Suites" for two. Free drinks, a bed, a huge TV but they discourage "mile high" club membership activities....

Viva Espana

Sophia, happy after a plate of Paealla.
Festive Castllian dress.

Mmmm, a vat of boiling pig legs!

Best cheese plate ever.

Sophia en el cafe afuera.


La finca (farm) in the outskirts of Madrid.

Jamon de Serano

Cool fino from a cask.
Upstairs in the manor house.
The grounds
Flamenco! Ole!
Mas flamenco!

Resting in the plaza.
Sophia and her hero - Velazquez (didn't he play for the Mets?)
Waiting for the tapas bar to open
Statue?
Or real person!

Sophia and I recently traveled to Madrid. It's a short 13 hours from Singapore (Ok compared to going to the US). Spain proved to be a refreshing respite from life in Asia.

The pictures speak for themselves - we ate great food like paella, tapas, churros, fine cheeses, jamon and sausages. Drank Rioja, Finos and cerveza. Visited museums like the Prado, the Museo de Reina Sofia and the Museo Archiologico. Strolled through flea markets, fancy shopping streets. Walked into local hangouts and well known places.

Cool your Dogs on Hot Coals

Demetra, Sophia, Myrna and Ronak looking for hot coals to walk on
Even Ronak knows Ganesha
I wore my team India cricket shirt to blend in with the crowd.
You want to stay on this Deity's good side!
A last look at one of the alters before heading home.

A few weeks ago, as part of the Deepavali season here in Singapore, the Hindu Thimithi Festival (http://events.skyteam.com/sisp/index.htm?fx=event&event_id=62781) took place at the Sri Mariamman Temple. (http://www.usp.nus.edu.sg/post/singapore/arts/architecture/srimar/1.html)

Myrna and I happened upon it last year and missed the coal walking so this year we had a plan. Sophia, Myrna, and me along with work friends Ronak Patel and Demetra Merikas started the evening out with a really tasty Nepalese dinner at a restaurant called Ghorka in Chinatown. (http://www.streetdirectory.com/restaurants/singapore/reviews/restaurant-Gorkha_Grill-1884.php ) The food was really good - Momo appetisers (small filled samosas), great mutton and really fine naan, all washed down with cold Kingfisher beers.

After dinner we wandered over to the temple, which is about three blocks away. The paper said the fire walking was Monday with festivities starting early and the actual walking taking place quite late. As we walked towards the Temple entrance we were able to see that there was a big crowd inside. You see, everyone needs to remove their shoes before entering and there were about 500 pairs of sandals and other assorted footwear all over the sidewalk on both sides of the large doors. We deposited our shoes in the pile and went in. there was a lot of activities but not hot coals or burnt footed devotees. While Ronak, our Hindu expert, was misidentifying the various statues of well known Hindu deities, I found some guys to ask when the walking was set to begin. Sadly, the men who I asked laughed and said that the walking took Place at about 2AM that morning. I guess it was actually Monday, but as usual the local paper, Sraits Times, was a little vague in their description of the exact timing.

We hung around the temple for a while soaking in the ambiance and soon headed our separate ways. Well, at least we had a good dinner that night!

A Yen for a Haircut

Sisters Jesica and Jolene pose in front of Jesica's picture.
Sophia in the midst of her transformation.
I'm up next for my trim.
Jolene smiling for the camera.

When we first moved to Singapore Sophia tried several hair places. There was the $500 treatment that took 4 hours. She left the salon looking great with perfectly straight hair and a chic style. By the time she walked the three blocks to our house it looked like and afro (not that there's anything wrong with that). She tried a very cheap place and wouldn't you know - it was a lousy doo. I got my first cut in Asia at a hotel in Bangkok and it was fine but it is kind of a long way to go every few weeks for a trim.

At some point someone recommended we go to Yen's. Yen's is one of the 1000s of hair places in Singapore and one of probably a dozen places in the Holland Village area. It's on the third floor of a kind of a shopping mall. The mall is not plush by any means and has a grocery store, some gift shops, tailors, clothing stores, a few foot massage and manicures places and several salons. It is frequented by a lot of expats who live in the area.

So we went and we keep going back. Beautiful sisters Jessica (Yen) and Jolene are in charge. Jolene makes the business work and Jessica cuts hair. They are really nice women who came to Singapore from China many years back and started their business. They can both be found at the shop 6 days a week (the place is open all seven days), pretty much all year round. In addition to a nice cut I also enjoy a great shampoo and scalp massage on their flat bed shampoo tables.

It all adds up to a very nice experience. (Sorry to my barber of over 30 years, the Gus Man!)

Shanghai Surprise - Swiss Bliss

The Alps at dawn.

Zurich loves Toblerone, two and three...

The weather was lovely, that day.

I thought i might find my brother Josh in here.

Definitly not behind this door.

I thought I was at a Red Cross convention.

The view from my hotel room.

Sorry for not posting lately - I've been soooo busy. Here is one I wrote but hadnt put up:



Last week I spent Sunday night on a redeye to Shanghai. After a restless, short snooze I arrived, claimed my bag and looked for the driver who was to take me on the two hour ride to Suzhou for a meeting. No driver, no "Mr. Gimbel" sign. I was only supposed to be there for a few hours and was on a tight schedule. I made a few calls, to no avail. Some sharp taxi hawker saw my apparent confusion and distress and asked me where I needed to go. I said - Suzhou and he said, no problem. I'll get you a taxi for 800 rmb (about $100 US). Sounded reasonable so I went for it. first I had to get some cash. I only had about 200 rmb, some Euros and some Singapore dollars. When I cashed them all in I had just over 800 rmb. I was saving the Euros for the Swiss leg of my trip but it turns out that Switzerland doesn't use Euros anyway. They have stuck to the Swiss Franc as all the other old European currencies are long gone. I was hopeful that my non-English speaking driver knew how to get there and knew where to get me to once there.

He confidently zipped out onto the highway and headed in the right direction (I have been there so I kind of knew). About an hour into the ride he pulled off the highway into an urban area that I knew was not Suzhou. He stopped at the side of the road and got ready to get out of the car. I asked him why he was stopping and pointed at my watch. He knew I wasn't happy but really had no clue what I was saying. He ran into a store and pooped back out and into the car. He handed me too cold cans of "Fire" brand iced coffee and headed back to the highway. A nice gesture and the coffee was welcome and needed. We finally pulled off onto the right exit and I could tell he had no idea where the Shangri-La hotel was. There was a country type guy standing by the roadside and my man stopped and gestured to the guy to come to the car. They exchanged a few words and country guy got into the passenger seat. He turned to me a smiled and said something (not hello, because I do know that word). Off we went again and five minutes later we were at the front door of the Shangri-La.

The hotel manager apologized for screwing up profusely. They said that my car back to the airport would be on them. big deal, I said, it's a business trip so I'm expencing it anyway. This did not resonate with them. I did my meeting and headed back to Shanghai in their Mercedes sedan. I must say in retrospect I much preferred the taxi adventure on the way in.


Once back at Shanghai airport, with some time to kill before my flight, I stopped by what I have found to be the best in-airport foot massage place in Asia. (OK, it's the only one I know of). Off in a corner somewhere is a massage place with nice little uniformed attendants who offer the range of foot massage and grooming options. They have drink menus, facial menus, manicure/pedicure options and more. I go for the plain old soak and 45 minute foot massage. It was very nice and got my feet and my body ready for the next red eye to Zurich.

I was briefly in Geneva about 100 years ago, this was my first time in the Alpen land since then. While the plane started to descend as the sun rose on Tuesday morning I saw the snow peaks of the alps poking through the clouds. It was a delightful site after spending so much time in the flat, hot tropics.

The fog was so thick on the ground that the pilot missed the gate and had to be led in. Once off the plane I breathed a breath of cool, fresh, dry air. The efficient train (complete with cow bells and mooing sounds) whisked me to the terminal. I arrived at the hotel in the center of the city just as people were starting to wake up. My room wasn't ready so I pouted in the lobby. After the feisty crew of a United Airlines flight got their rooms I was given my key.

A shower, shave and change of underwear was great for my energy and my spirits. It was a great sunny fall day and our afternoon was devoted to a Zurich Scavenger Hunt. It was so nice walking around the city for 3 hours looking for landmarks and asking the locals questions. I learned about the city (pretty small), it's history (pretty old) and it's people (not as cold and aloof as I had figured they would be). Also sampled the famous chocolates and the not so famous, but very welcomed, beer.

The food was also good. Western type stuff with nice meats and soups. Our new headquarters building is almost finished and it is one of those "smart buildings". I'm not sure how smart it is. During our meetings the blinds kept going up, going down, opening and closing and the lights went off and on for no apparent reason. I half expected the doors to lock up when I tried to leave. Luckily I outsmarted the building by going out a side door.

Soon my trip to the the White Cross land was at an end. I took another red eye home but this time I was lucky to be on a plane with totally flat beds in business class. Thank god for Singapore Airlines. If I were doing this kind of travel in the US I would have either quit or dropped dead by now.....

Taiwan-Typhoon

Things started to get a little dicey.
This guy probably should have stayed in.

The wind whipped things up pretty well.
After the storm, still soggy.
World's tallest building, or.....
....stack of Chinese take out containers?
Enter the Dragon.

Mmmm, a stone that looks like meat.
The famous jadeite cabbage. Everyone should have one.

Nothing like a little typhoon to shake things up.

Last week I was in Taipei for business and Sophia joined me for the weekend. Little did we know that Taipei was on the path of the very powerful typhoon Krosa. (http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2052727.htm) While it cramped our style a little it was still a pretty decent trip.

On Thursday I was to attend a lunch meeting with some high level Taiwan government officials and a delegation of multi-national companies. The issue was trade with China. I walked into the meeting room in very dull 50s era office building. In the room was a huge table with places for about 30 people. 20 of the places were marked with Chinese name plates and on the table were nice boxed lunches with noodles, chicken, veggies and chopsticks as well as a cup of tea. At the other 10 places were McDonald's bags and a large McDonald's Coke! I wonder where I was supposed to sit?

On Friday we visited the Taiwan Palace Museum. http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/news/stories/s2052727.htm Rated as one of the top 5 museums in the world. Built on a hillside to look like a Buddhist Monastery the buildings were quite impressive. Lot's of wonderful artifacts form Asia dating back 5000 years. Most of the treasure come from mainland China. Of course there is beautiful bronze work, exotic paintings on long scrolls, intricate carvings from the collections of Emperors and bold calligraphy. two of the most well known items on display were the jadeite cabbage and the pork meat stone. Both pieces were fascinating. We had to fight the crowds and tours. We find in Asia people are pretty aggressive at getting to where they want to be. One minute I might be looking at the cabbage and the next minute a tour group walks in and basically muscles their way in front of me pushing me to the back of the room. They take a quick look, hear a few words from their guide and then quickly move on to the next item on the tour.

Saturday was typhoon day. The reports kept coming in and the typhoon kept heading our way. We had to take a taxi to a drugstore to pick up a few things. The wind was really blowing, rain was falling, trees were bent over and parked motor scooters kept toppling over. We made it back safely and watched the brunt of the storm hit from the lobby or the Club Room on the 22nd floor of the Hyatt. It was funny to see the few bold doormen in front of the hotel in their bellhop uniforms along with motorcycle helmets.

That night we sipped champagne, listened to the wind and watched a movie. I guess if you have to be stuck in a typhoon, a suite on the Club level of the Hyatt isn't the worst place to be.......